TheCable

The federal government and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have evacuated 152 more Nigerian migrants living illegally in Libya.

The stranded Nigerians arrived in the country via the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday evening.

Kabiru Musa, Nigeria’s ambassador to Libya, in a statement, said this is the third repatriation exercise the Nigerian government and IOM have carried out in 2023.

He disclosed that over 500 Nigerians stranded in Libya have been successfully evacuated during the exercises.

The ambassador commended IOM and the Libyan authorities for their support and cooperation.

“Today, we have successfully evacuated another 152 Nigerians stranded in Libya to Nigeria,” he said.

“Libya is a transit country for irregular migrants to the Western and other parts of the world.

“Whenever these irregular migrants can no longer continue their journey to expected destinations, they become stranded here.

“Because of their status as undocumented immigrants, they become vulnerable to exploitation and degrading treatment, including forced labour and prostitution.

“The federal government is determined to protect the rights of these migrants and will continue to facilitate their safe and voluntary return home.

“This is the third exercise we have conducted this year. We evacuated almost 4,000 stranded Nigerians from Libya in 2022 and we hope to surpass that number this year.”

On March 28, 2023, the federal government announced that 151 stranded Nigerians have been repatriated from Benghazi in Libya.

Barely 24 hours later, another batch of 128 Nigerian migrants living illegally in Libya returned to the country.